FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

This draft was conducted between August 8th and August 11th considering a performance scoring scenario of 1/10 rush or receive yards, 1/20 pass yards, six point touchdowns with negative two point interceptions. Two point conversions are two points per participant. Defenses receive 1 point per sack, 2 points per turnovers and six point touchdowns.

Resulting Teams

16 team drafts are very tough since they exceed the levels of stud players so much faster in the early rounds. The natural advantage of a #1 pick in a 12 team league ends up much different here since the second pick is seven slots later in a 16 team league and proves a significant difference. Early drafters no longer are able to make pure value picks at the #2 and #3 and still expect to get a reasonably solid #4 choice that will likely be a need pick. Those drafting at the end of the first round have two of the best 17 players, but those swings are a long time before wrapping back around. Having reviewed the 8, 10, 12 and 14 team mocks, this shows how increasing size of a league has major impacts on how a team can be built.

Draft Slot #15 Round Strategy: RB, QB, TE, RB, WR

After the obligatory Priest pick, the wrap back was barren of notable RB's and went for two nice value picks in McNabb and Gonzalez. By the 4.16 he had to get someone else in the backfield and took Warrick Dunn. Picks in the 6th and 7th of Emmitt and Antowain Smith (no relation) were made to cover with two backs with little upside but likely some numbers in case of need.

Ended up with three major players by starting RB-QB-TE but paid a big price in RB2 and entire receiving crew. Gonzo counts as a WR2 really, but still caused him a weakness that he tried to compensate for with two high upside WR in Evans and Jenkins. Those two WR's with upside may save his bacon with WR's.

Started out with Tomlinson and then reached Thomas Jones in the 2nd which could prove to be a great pick if it all falls into place in CHI. A risky player but selected at a great spot. Found Hasselbeck in the 3rd and then had to take a WR in the 4th with Booker the best available. Heap in the 5th was easily the best value on the board and already having RB, RB, QB and WR allowed him to make that pick.

Ended up with a very solid team in a 16 man league. Some players fell to him but his only real weakness is WR and backup RB's which is pretty common in a big league. The rest of the spots are likely as good as you can hope for. Like all teams, the waiver wire needs to produce another WR but in a larger league that is harder to do. This team would be a definite contender in a 16 team league.

Picked up Ahman Green and then Curtis Martin before using the 3rd pick for Derrick Mason. Went with Toomer at the 4.14 which was fine since no QB went until his next pick where he scooped up Pennington. That was his best move of the draft - heads up.

This plan worked out pretty well. Pennington should be fine with a chance to be great, he has a very nice duo with Green and Martin at RB and his WR's of Mason, Toomer and Kennison are all #1's for their team - a nice thing in a big league. Took value with Vanderjagt and NE defense to gain some advantage at other positions. Backed up Martin with Jordan and Dayne appears to be a good RB3. Solid draft nicely worked. As always, WR depth is slim.

This was an interesting strategy to see played out. Went with a standard RB-RB to gain Portis and Barber but then backed them up with Staley with the 3.04 over all but 5 QB's, all TE's except Gonzo and over WR's like S Moss, Horn, etc. Had to go with WR at the 4.13 since 19 had already been taken and missed Coles by one pick, ending up with Peerless Price.

Ended up with an aggressive QB pick of McCown in the 6th over Leftwich but managed to get Garcia in the 8th as a steal. Receivers are not spectacular but pretty solid overall with upside. Crumpler is a nice TE but PK and DEF will struggle to be average. Following this plan ended up with Portis as the only top 5 player on the team (in his position) and while his RB and WR depth might be deeper than many teams, his QB, PK and DEF may contribute little and could be a downfall. A few picks were not my personal favorites where they were taken but there is a general upside to many player.

The team seems a bit lackluster, but it could provide some trade material in the league for upgrades. Did a pretty good job given this plan but it is easy to see how the plan might now work out as well for someone with a lesser eye for upside.

Went RB-RB with McAllister and Westbrook and then mined WR's with the next three picks and came away with Boldin (when he had 2 knees) Coles and Stallworth. Very nice risk pick of Winslow in the 6th and a fortunate find in Leftwich all the way in the 7th.

In all honesty, normally this plan does not work out this well. He has a very nice set of WR's for starting in the 3rd round, two good RB's, a great upside TE, and should be solid to above average PK and DT. His RB depth is almost non-existent but every other position is actually pretty solid (except back-up DT). Will be the first guy on the RB waiver wire every Tuesday morning. In a 16 team league, this team should compete well and could actually surprise as long as neither starting RB gets hurt.

This plan is typically sound at this spot in a big league since it addresses the flow of talent in the average draft. Started with Alexander and then got Kevin Jones for a good (at least potentially) backfield. Grabbed S. Moss before going over and getting Trent Green with the 4.11 pick and wound up with Bruce as WR2 with the 5.6 pick.

An error of sorts resulted in 3 QB's on this team and that 12.11 pick could have been an RB though pickings were mighty slim then. Even Maurice Morris as a backup would have made more sense there or a TE like Marcus Pollard. Threw all the TE, DEF and PK picks at the end and his starters show it since they are all below average. The depth he picked up at RB4 and WR4+ could have produced better starters with a different position taken.

It appears something happened mid-draft which set off a chain reaction. It was solid through the first 5 picks.

Went with Jamal Lewis and Stephen Davis and later pick of Chester Taylor was wise. Took Bulger with his 3rd pick and then had some nice value the next two turns that produced Chambers and Shockey.

This team ended up not flashy at all, but considering the size of the league it really is pretty solid. K Faulk allows an RB3 that worst case provides some weekly points while G Jones and C Taylor are nice upside, "in case of injury" picks. WR's are pretty solid with some upside as are his TE, PK and DEF. This is not a flashy team at all but considering the draft slot and plan, it came away with a pretty solid team. It has room and means to potentially grow during the season as well.

This also looks like a sound plan generally. Edgerrin was joined by Michael Bennett, and then Joe Horn was paired with Charles Rogers in the 3rd and 4th. The Rogers pick over Chambers or Coles is not a personal favorite of mine but undeniably upside. By the 5.08, went with Brad Johnson.

This plan appears to have been made in advance and never varied from. Other than perhaps Rogers, it would be hard to argue with the positional picks were there were made. He got good value, considering the position, where he selected them. Lots of upside picks like Bell, Troupe, Brunell. Should be solid at TE, PK and DT and might even be very good with some luck. Again, it looks more like a plan followed the whole way than a value picked roster but in a big league, the team is pretty solid.

Went with value pick of Randy Moss and then needed an RB which became Dillon. At the 3.09, elected to take Moulds as WR2 instead of Chris Brown or TJ Duckett which was likely attractive but started mining the deepest position to the detriment of the RB's that drain the fastest. Had to take a RB in the 4th and only managed part-timer Foster and knowing the weakness already, went for Steven Jackson in the 5th. It is a play that could pay off big or could leave an RB2 hole all season.

The rest of the roster came together probably better than it seemed it would. Pick of Hearst in the 6th likely could have gone to improve other starting positions before grabbing an RB4 but the die was cast and he felt the need I would guess. He still ended up better than most would have from the 7th round on out. This was a good example of a team that went for the top WR - natural enough - but then what that domino caused down the line. With such a strength at WR1 in Moss, sometimes a team is better off admitting RB2 is going to be a problem and continue to build a full team anyway. 4 RB's in the first 7 picks did not prove very lucrative here.

Went with Marshall Faulk but was unable to get the bookend in Jackson. Had a nice value pick in Chad Johnson at the 2.07 and still got Duckett at the 3.10. That was an absolute need pick there - waiting would have hurt big. Took Favre in the 4th for a solid start and then added RB3 in William Green. That seems a chancy pick that could pay off little but he did see the TE and WR tiers empty within the few picks before him. It was too early to go to DEY, or PK, so he picking a RB there probably was the best choice, just not likely one he was hoping for.

Got reasonable value the rest of the way and the picks were pretty much all prudent where they were made but as it worked out, this draft slot kept seeing tiers empty right in front of him so value picks were pretty hard to come across. While the Morgan pick as WR4 at the 8.07 seems early, but the TE's, DEF and even PK top values were already gone. It is a case where the team produced looks pretty average but it is hard to see where it could have been improved really. This plan did not work out great, but the team did a decent job considering what he was handed. Looks like a bad draft slot to me as it played out, particularly later in the draft.

Went for the seductive power play of Harrison and Ward before, understandably, mining the RB's that produced C Brown, Wheatley and Shipp (right before he hurt himself). Those are likely better than a team could hope for starting RB's at the 3.11 pick and that is not good.

Went to value picks after taking Brady but only reached Dallas Clark and the MIN DEF. WR's may be deep, but starting in the 9th round for WR2 in a big league left him with only Muhammad, Shaw and Derrius Thompson. Two top WR's likely felt great and looked great. From then on, this team reeled trying to first get 2 serviceable RB's and that caused him to miss out on value picks in other positions. The reality is that starting WR-WR is hard enough in a 12 team league. Starting it this deep in the first round in a 16 team league is admitting the draft is going to control you the rest of the way.

After the Fred Taylor pick, went for high value in Manning and then straight back to get Garner to fill out the starting RB's. That done, went to the WR's and tool Steve Smith and then Andre' Davis. Really liked the Moe Williams as RB3 at the 6.05 though Bell or Suggs would have been my pick there. Williams is safer. Reached McMichael with the 7.12 and had to love that.

Ended up with a pretty balanced team with some nice potential and decent depth considering the league size. Manning with the 2.05 really makes this team better and he did not pay much of a price to get him. There;s some power to this team and the only thing it seems to miss is higher upside guys in the backup slots. Drafting 12th, this is definitely above average.

This plan looks like a winner at the #13 and proves to be. After top QB in Culpepper, snagged Rudi Johnson (later backed by Chris Perry), then took Buckhalter as a solid #2. That Buckhalter pick was critical since he was the last of the "no real risk" RB's left and should be at least adequate with upside. Went to WR's naturally and grabbed upside again in Javon Walker and Burress and still found Boo Williams in the 6th.

Later took Wilkins in the 8th and DAL in the 10th. Last six picks are probably throw away players at some point but this was a very nice working of both value picks and still getting away with quality with the need picks. The plan worked out well and was adjusted at the right times when nice players fell to him. The depth in most positions is not good but the starters are quite nice and that is the first priority in any draft, and more so in a really big league where depth is going to likely suck anyway.

Went with Holt to start and then still got Barlow at the 2.03. Very nice start. Problem he got into was that at his 3.14 pick, there were no low risk RB's so opted for best WR on board in Andre Johnson. Duckett had just gone so I agree with the pick as painful as it later proved. With his wrap back pick of the 4.03, grabbed Brooks as a nice value there but by-passed RB2 again which could have been Griffin or Dunn and finally used the 5.14 to take Eddie George. That was a very sound pick and one that was needed. In a 16 team league, hard to count on that still being there.

Just missed McMichael and took Witten. Went for value at PK but already missed Vandy and Wilkins. Ended up with a good QB, RB1, WR1 and WR2 and his RB2 is better than should be expected. That does help the highest scoring positions which is nice since the others are unlikely to make a difference. This shows clearly how deep in the first round has an entirely different set of circumstances than even 4 or 5 picks earlier. Has some players fall to him (George, Minor) that will help but hard to count on. This team drafted it out very well but chances are this plan would not work out nearly as well for most others.

This plan is fascinating since it is almost opposite what most do. It went pure value for the first four picks and then fell into perceived need picks. Started with Owens and then grabbed Henry. At the 3.15 grabbed McNair (could have been Brooks as an equivalent) and then at the 4.02 went after upside in Koren Robinson. After that run, went with three straight RB picks in Julius Jones, McGahee (had Henry) and Thomas.

This was an aggressive plan that recognized the limitations of drafting 15th and went for best values and then some swings at the fence. Cannot blame the thought process here in a tough draft slot. Ended up with below average TE, PK and DEF. RB's are actually weak if Jones does not unseat George and Amos looks like a stretch to play at all. The pick forced the McGahee pick which in turn set him a round back or more in getting other starters. Compounded later by ignoring DT and PK. Has some nice upside in best positions, but lots of risk. This team could surprise and be one of the better ones but the risk is that one or two things happen wrong (or not happen) and this team struggles all season. Tough draft spot but credit for going for value picks and taking risks - pretty much a necessity when you wait for 14 teams to pick before you in the first round.

When this team was jostled awake 16 picks into the draft, he used his first swing on the best RB - Domanick Davis - and then went for value in Vick. Personally I would have taken Manning, but taking the #2 QB there gains an advantage and advantages are going to be hard to find this deep.

By the 3.16 pick reached Griffin which actually probably made the team very happy given what else he was looking at after Quentin. Opted to fill out starting WR's and grabbed D Jackson, Roy Williams and Ashley Lelie. Nice eye for upside when his draft slot means good things must happen for him to rise above the pack. His DEF and TE picks came early enough to get MIA and Kinney, so he should not have a liability though likely not an advantage.

This plan allowed for a nice blend of value and need picks and Knowing his disadvantage already, did some much needed swinging for the fence with high upside picks, especially in WR. The depth is a below average even for a 16 team league but a nice plan on the starters will make the team competitive even from the 16th slot. Has upside and some solid players and is about as good as you can hope for this late in the first round.